The final volume of the Golden Kamuy manga series was released in Japan on July 19, 2022.
To commemorate the Golden Kamuy Volume 31 release date, the official Young Jump’s Golden Kamuy webpage has launched a special commemorative webpage and a commemorative wallpaper giveaway.
In addition, a popular vote competition is on. Participants may vote for one of the five scenes presented and get a chance to win a T-shirt with the winning scene print.
Lastly, everyone who purchases the final volume may participate in a lottery event. Applicants should send the ticket (attached to the cover) to an address specified in the volume by August 31, 2022.
The award is a secret; the volume only reads “a gift will arrive from Jailbreak King Yutake Shiraishi.”400 people will get the mysterious gift.
About the Golden Kamuy manga
For the entirety of its run (2014-2022), the Golden Kamuy manga by Satoru Noda was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine. The highly acclaimed manga has been licensed for an English-language release by Viz Media since 2016.
Golden Kamuy won the 9th Manga Taishō award (2016), the 22nd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (2018), and the Grand Prize in the comic book category of the 51st Japan Cartoonists Association Awards (2022).
VIZ Media is publishing the official English translation of the series. The English manga was up to Volume 26 as of May, 2022, with Volume 27 due to be released on September 20, 2022.
The plotline follows the adventures of Saichi Sugimoto (“Immortal Sugimoto”), a demobilized veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, and Asirpa, a young Ainu hunter who saves Sugimoto from a wild bear. The two form a partnership and set out to find the legendary Ainu gold.
The clash between the Ainu and Japanese cultures is a pivotal part of the series.
The story is set in Hokkaido, in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, and depicts many real-life events of the epoch. The manga is specific in that it also features certain fictionalized characters based on real historical figures, e.g., Shinsengumi’s Hijikata Toshizō and Shinpachi Nagakura.
The manga has inspired an anime TV series, with three seasons having aired so far. The Golden Kamuy Season 4 release date is in Fall 2022.
The Golden Kamuy anime series was originally animated by Geno Studio (first three seasons; episodes 1 through 36), with Brain’s Base taking over for Season 4.
Hitoshi Nanba directed the series for Geno Studio; Shizutaka Sugahara will resume the role for Brain’s Base. Noboru Takagi has been in charge of the script throughout, with Takumi Yamakawa handling character design. Kenichiro Suehiro composed the soundtrack for the first three seasons (S4 info TBA).
The Golden Kamuy anime series is licensed by Crunchyroll and Funimation.